Abstract
This study assessed the relationships between older patients’ social support resources and depressive symptoms and psychosocial functioning at 6 months following a psychiatric hospital discharge. The data used in this study were extracted from a prospective study titled “Service Use of Depressed Elders after Acute Care” (National Institute of Mental Health-56208). This sample included 148 older patients who participated in the initial and the 6-month follow-up assessment. Ordinary Least Squares regression (OLS) was used to examine important social support resources in relation to older patients’ depressive symptoms and psychosocial functioning. A vast majority of patients were embedded in a social support network that consisted of acquaintances and confidants. Patients’ depressive symptoms were related to availability of a confidant and the extent to which they spent time with others. However, patients’ psychosocial functioning was not related to social support resources assessed in this study.
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Li, H., Morrow-Howell, N., Proctor, E. et al. Social Support Resources and Post-Acute Recovery for Older Adults with Major Depression. Community Ment Health J 49, 419–426 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-012-9567-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-012-9567-1